


OLF Bad Endings: The Desk AU

by 1FrozenRutabaga



Series: OLF: Bad Endings [2]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Angst, Blood, Corpse Desecration, Gen, Heavy Angst, Horror, Mental Breakdown, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma, Supernatural Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-05-29 13:53:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19401667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1FrozenRutabaga/pseuds/1FrozenRutabaga
Summary: Bonnie didn't retreat that night he trapped Mike under the desk. What follows next is a spiral downwards with no way back up. It started with the security office desk. It ends with a macabre fantasy.(Available to be read without separation of other Bad Ending scenarios)





	1. Desk

**Author's Note:**

> Since I like things to be organized, I made this its own place since the first two parts would be separate from the final two. For those who wanted to read it all in order without it being broken up by another death scene: this is for you! This will be updated along with the final chapters in the Bad Endings, so the best of both (emotionally torturing) worlds!
> 
> **!!! Warning: Read the tags !!!**

Bonnie just snarled. He grabbed Mike by his shirt and yanked him from underneath the desk. The teen started to scream, grabbing at Bonnie’s hand and trying to loosen the grip, but it was no use. “No! Bonnie, stop!”

The rosy eyes were black, black spreading like a spider web around the sockets and the white dots wavering. “How dare you?!” he howled. “How fucking dare you come in here with Mikey’s face and beg for your life?!”

He didn’t even think. He just slammed the guard against the edge of the table right on his back. Mike let out a shrieking howl, a loud _snap_ reaching over his sounds. There was a horrific, shooting pain and a tingling numbness scurrying around his body. His back was undoubtedly broken.

“Did that hurt?” Bonnie crooned sarcastically. He held the human up, shaking him just so to make the pain worse. “It should.”

“Bonnie!” Mike shrieked, eyes wild.

“Shut _up_!” Bonnie roared. He brought Mike up again and slammed him back onto the desk. “You made your choice when you came in here with Mikey’s face!”

Mike was choking on the pain. “It’s me!” he cried. “It’s me-!”

The giant fist pounded against his chest. There was cracking, bones breaking. Mike screamed at the feeling of his ribcage breaking. He felt like he was being ripped apart.

“You jerk!” Bonnie hit him again. “You come in here with Mikey’s face!” He hit him again. “And expect me to listen to your crying?!” Again. “You’re unbelievable!”

Bonnie just kept punching. He didn’t stop even after the screams turned to gurgles or when the guard’s limbs uselessly flopped about. He didn’t stop at the rasping plea _Bonnie please_ that became the guard’s final words. He didn’t stop at the sight of blood dribbling from the parted lips or when the pale cheeks were smeared with it each hit. The desk shook violently under his onslaught, on the verge of breaking, but he didn’t stop.

He wasn’t sure when he really did stop, but by then the guard was dead.

The animatronic looked over the broken body. There wasn’t much blood, but he knew he had absolutely destroyed the human’s organs. He wouldn’t be surprised if they were piles of mush from how hard he had beat the human down. Bonnie smirked, feeling the sick satisfaction of snuffing out the life of someone who didn’t deserve it.

The blue eyes were still open. The head was turned on its side but the eyes were still visible. He couldn’t look at those eyes anymore. Bonnie reached to close them. His hand brushed against the hair covered the forehead, and the first thing he noticed about it was that there was scar tissue. Curiosity drove him to lift the rest. He wondered what it could be, what accident had caused such a dark scar.

Bonnie froze.

No, that… That was impossible. Anyone could have a scar like that. Anyone could have a scar exactly in the place where Foxy had bitten Mikey. The more he looked, the more things started to add up. The striking resemblance, the soft voice, the big blue eyes and small stature. The satisfaction rushed out of him in one fell swoop, replaced with a sickened horror and crushing guilt.

_No._ “Mikey?” His voice was trembling like the rest of him.

The boy didn’t respond. The blue eyes were devoid of life, the empty orbs left to stare at the wall. His ragged breathing and screams had died away with the rest of him, the small body still.

_No!_ Bonnie felt his world crumble away. **_No!_** “Mikey?” he called again. He cupped the thin cheek and turned the boy’s head up to face him. “Mikey, is…? Are you still there?”

The empty blue eyes were like little broken mirrors, reflecting Bonnie’s horrified face. There was nothing in them anymore. Mike’s soul was gone. Bonnie didn’t know where the boy had gone, but he wasn’t here. Either he had escaped into some corner of the pizzeria or had passed on in a moment of adrenalized fear, but he was gone. His body was too damaged for him to return to it, his organs bruised and bleeding and his bones broken.

Bonnie lifted Mike’s body like it was made of glass. The small spine let out a faint _crack_ under the gentle handling. Bonnie choked at the sound, his gentle grip on the boy wavering. He made sure to support the fragile neck, his hand cupping the back of Mike’s head and his fingers gingerly digging into the thick hair.

Mikey was dead, and Bonnie had killed him.

The rabbit held the boy close, gripping him too tightly and further damaging the body, but he was crying too hard to hear the sounds. “I’m sorry,” Bonnie sobbed softly. “Mikey, I’m so sorry.”

Mikey felt just as tiny in Bonnie’s arms when he was a little child. Only now he wasn't grabbing at Bonnie's fur and giggling as Bonnie wiggled his ears, he was silent and dead.

“Come back,” the rabbit begged. He nuzzled the thick locks. They smelled sweet and bitter at the same time with something he couldn't place. Mikey’s hair had always been a mess. “Come back, Mikey, please come back.”

There was nothing stable to return to even if Mikey was still here. No human could survive such a vicious beating and live.

Something struck Bonnie’s mind. “I-I can fix this!” he exclaimed, his voice ragged. He grinned. “I can fix this!”

His hands blackened. Bonnie felt through Mikey’s back for the damage, the guilt mounting at each thing he felt. He felt a multitude of scar tissue on the boy's skin that wasn't from him. The spine was broken, snapped cleanly in two. Mikey’s organs were so bruised. They had been punctured by his shattered ribs, his lungs getting the brunt of the attack. That’s what had ended up killing Mikey; the boy had drowned in his own blood.

B-but lungs could be fixed, right? Right, they could. All Bonnie had to do was empty them and heal the holes. It was just like sewing a rip in their suits. It couldn't be that hard to fix.

It was minutes afterwards that he realized it was much different. Confused mutters and grunts came from Bonnie as he struggled with the healing. Nothing was coming together like he thought it would. The fluid trapped in Mikey’s lungs needed somewhere to go, but he didn’t know where and he didn’t want to make the boy throw up anymore. The ribs were so broken that Bonnie had no clue where to even start trying to mend them back together, the organs torn and bruised.

He didn’t… He didn’t know what went to what. Breaking was one thing, healing was an entirely different task. It wasn’t as easy as he thought. Humans were more different than Bonnie originally thought. He didn't know what to do. What could he do?

This couldn’t be fixed, Bonnie realized. His power evaporated from his hands. He couldn’t fix Mikey. He had broken Mikey and he couldn’t put him back together.

Bonnie hunched over Mikey. Ink poured from his eyes like tears and dripped onto the floor in heavy droplets. He quivered and held Mikey’s body close as he cried. Quiet, sharp whimpers and sobs echoed around the room with the faint sound of gears grinding tightly together under Bonnie’s fur.

_“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…”_

Something broke, but Bonnie wasn’t sure what bones in Mikey’s chest were still in one piece.


	2. Mad Hatter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took a long time to pry Mikey away from Bonnie.

Bonnie didn’t really remember what happened afterwards. He remembered Freddy coming into the security office, then Foxy and Chica, then lots of yelling and crying, and then things blurred even further. Bonnie faintly remembered using his powers to get them away _Foxy thrown into the wall_ to protect Mikey _ripped Freddy’s arm from its socket because he tried to take the corpse_ , and he did feel bad _nearly tore Chica’s beak off_ , but Mikey came first.

He had moved to the backroom and made himself at home in the far back corner. It was easier to keep Mikey with him there, the boy tucked against his chest. No one went back there anyways. If any of the others really needed something then he would use his powers to give it to them himself. No one was coming in here and no one was taking Mikey from him. They didn’t understand that Mikey was still fragile like when he was a little child and was easily overwhelmed.

Bonnie hadn’t left since. He felt bad that he wasn’t outside to help entertain the children, but Mikey was more important than them. He wasn’t sure what the excuse was to them, probably that he was just sick _broken he’s so broken_ and that he needed _to wake up_ lots of rest before he could come back and perform.

Mikey started to leak some really gross stuff. Some of it got onto Bonnie’s fur and he had to shift a lot of keep the boy from sticking to him, but that was fine. His body changed a little, but that was also fine. It smelled horrible at first, just like when the Children’s bodies had begun their decomposition, but the odor had quickly gone away. Bonnie couldn’t smell it anymore, but it wasn’t really a problem in the first place. He just wished Mikey’s hair didn’t fall out when he brushed it. Bonnie knew how much Mikey loved to play with his hair.

The bugs were troublesome, though. Bonnie didn’t even know where they came from, they just appeared out of nowhere. It was so annoying to keep them away and off of Mikey, but he was vigilant and precise with getting rid of them.

It was after some point that Bonnie concluded that Mikey was just sleeping. It made sense. There was no odor anymore, his eyes were closed _Bonnie had to keep his head tilted so what was left of his eyeballs didn’t fall out_ , and Bonnie swore that his chest rose and fell _crazy he was so crazy_. Mikey was just sleeping. Bonnie didn’t mind holding him or being his pillow, never had. It was just like when he was a little boy, desperate for love and hugs that only they could fulfill. The memories that _he_ had hurt Mikey started to float away after one point, pushed out by his new discovery, but they still hurt whenever Bonnie thought hard.

Bonnie would sing him a lullaby about twice a day. He had so many to choose from and he always asked Mikey what one he wanted. There was never a response, but Bonnie would balance them and choose what Mikey would like better. He didn’t mind repeating a few. Lullabies encouraged sleep. Sleeping was a healing mechanism for humans. If he couldn’t heal Mikey’s broken bones, sleeping could. It would just take some time, then Mikey would wake up and they could be a family again like before.

A knock on the door had the rabbit startling. A moment later it opened and Freddy peered in. He was already looking at Bonnie. “Bonnie?”

Bonnie was cautious. “Hi, Freddy.”

“Can I come in?”

He had to be alert around the others. They had tried to take Mikey away from him and Bonnie had to fight back. Sometimes they would sit against the door and beg for him to come out, but that would mean they would take Mikey away. He didn’t like hurting his family, but Mikey was his top priority. The rosy eyes looked down at Mikey, contemplating. Should he risk Freddy coming in?

“I won’t touch him,” Freddy said. His voice sounded rough there. “I promise.”

Freddy never broke promises. Besides, it was getting a little lonely even with Mikey. “Okay.”

The bear entered the room. He had a new left arm, Bonnie having somewhat reluctantly giving it to him after ripping his old one off. The rabbit felt guilty about that now, but he hadn’t been given a choice. 

Freddy sat on the table. He patted the spot next to him. “Sit with me?”

Bonnie didn’t move.

“Oh, come on. You can’t expect me to speak with you from there.” The tone was bright and optimized. “Come here.”

It took a moment, but Bonnie stood. His leg jointed cracked and popped from the different position. Bonnie winced. When was the last time he stood up? He stretched his legs a little, thought about getting some oil for his joints later, then carefully moved over to Freddy. He sat up on the table, though he kept a little distance between them. He still didn’t fully trust that promise yet.

“You’ve been back here a while,” Freddy said softly. “The kids miss you.”

Bonnie’s ear twitched. It hadn’t been that long, right? “How long?” he asked. He hadn’t actually been keeping track.

“A few weeks.”

Weeks? Wow, Mikey was taking a long time to heal. “Huh.” He looked down at Mikey. “Guess he needs more time than I thought.”

Freddy frowned deeply. “Bonnie, he…” He stopped. “…He smells horrible, Bonnie.”

“He doesn’t smell,” Bonnie protested gently. Freddy’s ears folded back, eyes touched with a twinkle of fresh disgust. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Freddy looked thoroughly disturbed. “Don’t you see what’s happening to him?” he asked, his voice quiet and petrified. “He doesn’t look normal, Bonnie. Humans don’t look like that.”

“He’s okay.” Bonnie looked down at Mikey. He was a little beaten up, but humans were fragile and took a long time to heal. “He’ll be fine after some more sleep. Sleeping’s a healing mechanism for humans, you know?”

“I do."

Okay, so why was Freddy acting like that was a bad thing?

“But don’t you think it’s time for Michael to go home?”

“What home?” Bonnie responded flatly. “You know how scared he was of his mom, and we all know what a monster of a dad he has. That place isn't his home and it certainly isn't with them.” He smiled down at Mikey like a parent smiling at their baby. “Mikey’s home is here.”

“Maybe,” Freddy said carefully. “But he’s been being looked after by the manager and the janitor. He’s been staying with them.”

Bonnie’s ears perked. He looked at Freddy, surprised. “Really?”

The other nodded. “Yes. Michael’s been very happy with them. Don’t you want him to be happy?”

What kind of question was that? “Of course!” Bonnie exclaimed, offended that he would even be asked that. “But…” He shook his head. “What do they know about Mikey? We’ve known him since he was little. He’s our baby.” He smiled down at the boy, shifting to nuzzle what was left of Mikey’s hair. “Our Mikey.”

Freddy grimaced, recoiling slightly. “Bonnie…”

“Why do you guys want him gone so badly?” the rabbit asked, genuinely curious. He lifted his head, rose eyes wilted and hurt. “Don’t you love him anymore?”

The bear looked like he had been struck. “How could you–?” He shook his head, stopping himself. “Bonnie, of course I love him. We all do. That’s why we want what’s best for him. He needs to go home.”

“He’s already home.”

“Bonnie…”

“Freddy, I’m not letting them have him,” Bonnie snipped, thin brows drawn tightly and mouth in a firm line. “I don’t care what they want: Mikey’s home is here. He’s safe and loved here with us, he knows that. We took care of him for years and we can take care of him again. I’m not handing over our baby to a bunch of humans who could throw him away at any second. Understand?”

Freddy sighed, his eyes shuttering away. “I understand.”

Lines flew from the openings by Freddy’s shoulders and elbows. Two went into Bonnie’s chest and stabbed into his soul, the others latched onto Mikey and yanked him from Bonnie’s arms. The rabbit roared at the feeling in his soul and the loss of the boy. He ignored the sight of his abdomen, how it was stained and rotting where Mikey used to lay. There was a flash of red and yellow, and then Bonnie was on his stomach with Foxy and Chica pinning him down. His arms were forced behind his back, his legs held tightly.

The lines retracted back to Freddy. “I’ve temporarily locked your soul,” he said. “You won’t be able to use your powers for a while.”

How could he even think of doing that? “No!” Bonnie screeched. He thrashed in Foxy’s grip. “Let me go! Give him back!”

Foxy was sobbing. Chica was silent and shaking. Inky streams stained both of their faces. He ignored them. All he could focus on was Mikey. The boy _he was falling apart he barely looked human anymore_ was being held by Freddy, the bear’s power curved under Mikey’s arms and around his forehead. The icy eyes were dark, ink lining his cheeks, but he wasn’t making any noise. Freddy just gazed at the boy sadly.

“His ribs are broken!” Bonnie exclaimed. “You’re going to make it worse!”

“There’s nothing left to make worse,” Freddy murmured. His face was withdrawn, empty.

“He’s rottin’ away, Bonnie!” Foxy cried. He was hunched over the rabbit’s back, jaw clenched. “He’s been dead fer weeks!”

“That’s not true! He needs to sleep so he can heal and you're all going to wake him up!”

Chica bowed her head, trembling. “Freddy, take him to Chris,” she begged.

“No!” Bonnie watched helplessly as Freddy took Mikey from the room. “Mikey!”

Foxy and Chica didn’t let him up. “Bonnie, please,” Chica whimpered. Her voice was hoarse. “He’s dead, Bonnie, he’s been dead for a long time.”

“He’s fine!” the older snapped. How could they be so blind? He pushed up against their weight, but he barely moved. He let out a frustrated grunt. “Get off of me!”

Foxy’s face was wet with the ink. “Bonnie, stop,” he pleaded. “Please, jus' stop.”

Something struck Bonnie. “You’ve been talking with them!” he proclaimed. He managed to turn his head back enough to snarl at Chica. “You’ve all been talking with those humans! You all wanted to give him away!”

“He’s just a corpse now, Bonnie!” Chica screamed at him, her voice breaking. “You killed him! Don’t you remember that? You killed him!”

Bonnie flinched back, grimacing. “No! No, I didn’t kill Mikey. I…”

_He didn’t stop._

He shook his head. Those memories were fake. Untrue, so untrue. “I-I just hurt him a little, that’s all. I didn't know it was him and I just freaked out. He’s okay, he is! He just needs some rest to heal and then…”

“Bonnie, please jus' shut up,” Foxy rasped. “Jus' shut up.”

“A-and then we can be a family again, just like before.” Bonnie didn’t understand why they didn’t want that, why they looked so scared and upset. “Mikey would be back with us again. We’d… We’d all be happy again.”

They turned away from him. Bonnie felt like he had been torn in two.

Freddy came back. Mikey was gone. “He’s gone,” he said, his rough voice fixed with conviction. “He’s with the janitor now.”

Mikey was gone. Mikey was _gone_. Mikey was gone again and it was Bonnie’s fault. The boy was going off to be with a bunch of humans that Bonnie didn’t trust. How would they even begin to understand what Mikey was going through? It had Bonnie quaking and his vision wobbling. He had failed to protect and love Mikey again.

“How could you?!” the rabbit cried. “How could you give him away like that?! I thought you loved him!”

Freddy looked pained. “We love Michael very much,” he said. “And we love you too. That’s why we’re doing this, Bonnie, because we love you both.”

Bonnie just squeezed his eyes shut. How could Freddy say that he loved them after he had just torn their broken family apart again? How could any of them say that? Why were so determined to keep things shattered and dark? Mikey was back, he was home, but they had just given him away like an old doll. He had been sleeping, recovering, and they had just ripped him from Bonnie's arms.

How could they do this?

Freddy sank to his knees gracefully. He put a hand on Bonnie’s head, gently ruffling the lilac fur. “You need to go on emergency shutdown for a little bit,” he said softly.

Bonnie gaped, horrified. “No!” he shouted, his struggles ramping back up. He hated emergency shutdown. He had only been forced under once and that was when the Children were murdered. Emergency shutdown meant he couldn’t wake up for hours. Emergency shutdown meant being scared and trapped and alone…

“It’s for the best, fluffy,” Freddy said, his voice its soothing self again.

Bonnie felt like he nearly shorted out. Fluffy was a nickname Freddy had given to him long ago. He could barely remember the last time he actually heard it. It wasn’t often that Freddy called them by their nicknames, just when they were inconsolable they couldn’t think straight. Did he really think that dropping that name would make him feel better?

He felt something in the slot. Chica’s hand had moved in his daze. When had she gotten the pin? “No!” Bonnie screeched again. His struggles started again. “Don’t touch me!”

Freddy just continued to pet his fur. “Shh,” he soothed. “It’s okay.”

“Bring him back!” the rabbit wailed. With his powers restrained he couldn’t even cry anymore. “Bring Mikey back!”

The icy eyes were dim. “I wish we could,” he murmured.

The needle pressed the button. Bonnie’s entire body stiffened, locking up and resetting. His ears straightened and quivered, his eyes wide as he felt all his control slipping away, and then his vision was tunneling. Everyone wobbled and spun.

“Freddy-y-y-y…” Bonnie slurred, his eyelids drooping low. He didn’t want to be asleep, he wanted to be with Mikey. He just wanted Mikey back so they could be happy again.

The answering smile was gentle and sad, cheeks stained with ink. “I'm so sorry.”

Bonnie fell asleep.


	3. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Goodbye, Michael."

Freddy stared at the mess with wide eyes. Bonnie was on his knees, crying and clutching the night guard. The human was obviously dead. Freddy could hear broken bones grinding against each other from his place in the doorway.

He entered the office. “Bonnie?” he called quietly. “What are you…?”

“It’s Mikey,” the rabbit choked. “It’s Mikey, Freddy, I killed Mikey.”

Freddy frowned. “Bonnie,” he began gently, “I know that he looks like Michael, but you know he isn’t.”

Bonnie shook his head. He shakily tilted the guard’s head towards Freddy and lifted the hanging hair over the human’s forehead. “See?”

The world disappeared beneath Freddy’s feet.

_No._

He didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. Freddy felt like his soul had been torn out and eaten, his insides evaporating within seconds. He felt empty, gutted. His hands felt numb, numb with the fact that Mikey was dead before him and with the knowledge that he had strangled and nearly broke the child’s neck.

_**No.** _

He must have been standing there for a few minutes, because Foxy had come from the Cove. “What’s goin’ on?” He startled at the sight of Bonnie. “Bonnie?”

“It’s Mikey,” Bonnie whimpered. “Mikey came back, Foxy, he came back.”

Freddy turned quickly to face the fox. “It’s true,” he wheezed. Foxy’s eyes widened. “It… It’s Michael.”

Foxy shook his head, but he couldn’t look away from the body. “No,” he whispered. The bright eyes burned, furious. “Freddy, don’ fuckin’ play wit' me, not li'e this.”

“It’s Michael,” Freddy repeated. His throat felt tight. “And Bonnie…”

Chica had come from the kitchen. She stared down at the mess, her eyes milky and dark. “Please tell me I didn’t hear that right,” she whispered. “Please tell me that.”

He wished he could. Freddy turned his attention Bonnie. He dropped onto his knees next to the younger animatronic. “Bonnie,” he said gently. “You need to let go of him.”

The rabbit shook his head, a miniscule and stiff movement. His eyes were tightly shut.

“I know this is hard,” Freddy said. It was so incredibly difficult, but he needed to take charge more than ever. “But you have to put him down.”

“I can’t,” Bonnie rasped.

Everyone flinched at the faint sounds of bones grinding and organs sloshing. “Bonnie, just put him down,” Foxy got out, shaking where he stood. “Ye’re makin’ it worse.”

“I can’t fix him,” the rabbit whimpered. “I tried, but I can’t fix him.”

Nothing could fix a dead human. They had never healed humans before, and he knew that the damage that Mikey had suffered was far out of their league. There wasn’t a chance in the world that the boy could have had if Bonnie had stopped earlier.

A beat of quiet sobbing. Freddy didn’t say anything, didn’t interrupt Bonnie’s mourning. He could hear the quiet sniffles and gears shaking behind him.

Then, “He’s… He’s fine.”

The usually sweet and light voice had become slightly hysterical. Freddy’s ears twitched at the sound. “Bonnie?”

The rabbit looked down at body. The rose eyes were wide and blank, but something was happening behind them. Something was being put together, fabricated. He continued to clutch Mikey’s body, though his grip was light and careful of bruising the skin beneath the fabric of clothing any further.

“He’s…fine,” Bonnie said again, conviction entering his voice.

Something twisted in Freddy’s soul, something bad. He reached. “Bonnie-”

It was so fast. Freddy didn’t have time to register Bonnie’s eyes flicker to black, and when he did there were already lines wrapped around his arm. With one firm, vicious yank, his arm was ripped from its socket. Wires tore and metal bent. Freddy fell backwards, howling at the pain. He clutched at the now empty socket, eyes scrunched shut and body quivering.

Foxy and Chica’s jaws dropped. “Freddy!” they both shouted. They ran over to him and dropped to their knees. They carefully helped him sit up. “Freddy, are you okay?” Chica asked, shell-shocked at what she had just witnessed.

Freddy was clutching at his shoulder, grimacing. “I’m fine,” he said, strained. He looked at Bonnie, grimacing. “Bonnie…”

“You were going to take him,” Bonnie told him lowly. “Wake him up.”

Foxy stared at him. “Bonnie, 'e’s no' sleepin’! He’s…” He had to stop, because the pain just rushed back up to his throat. _Mikey._

The other animatronic stood, taking Mikey with him. Bonnie adjusted the small body so that he was cradling it, Mikey’s head nestled against his chest. The boy was like a ragdoll, his empty eyes that of a glass doll.

Foxy stood. “Put 'im down,” he commanded. He had seen and heard enough.

“No.” It was such a petulant response.

The fox bared his teeth. “Now.”

Bonnie’s eyes flickered again. “Make me,” he snapped.

“Fine!” Foxy snarled. He lunged without a second thought.

Bonnie’s ears folded back. “Stay _back_!” he snarled, lines shooting from his shoulders.

Foxy yelped when they slammed into him. Despite being bigger and heavier than Bonnie, he was thrown out of the left office door and hit the wall with a heavy _thud_ like he was made of tinfoil. He fell forward into a hunch. He grimaced sharply, wires aching from the throw.

Chica stood sharply, glaring daggers into her metaphorical brother. “We’re just trying to help you!” she yelled. “How could you do that to them?!”

“Like I can do this.”

The chicken gasped whenever black lines wrapped tightly around her beak. They pried it open, already pulling. Not hard enough to rip, but enough for it to start aching. It was a threat, one that Bonnie would obviously go through with if he decided to. Lines coming from her neck to grapple at the rivaling power. The grip Bonnie had on her beak, however, was too strong. Too fueled by fabricated determination and anger.

“Bonnie, let her go,” Freddy told him. He adjusted himself, straightening himself. “Now.”

They retracted. Bonnie was still glaring at them. That newfound emptiness was chilling to see. “I’m taking him to the back,” he said. “He’ll be able to rest there, and then we can all apologize when he wakes up.”

Then he was gone. They heard the backroom door be shut firmly a moment later.

Everyone remained were they were. Chica was leaning against the desk, wide-eyes and shell-shocked. Freddy was gripping his ruined socket, grimacing with each throb. Foxy pushed himself up, sitting against the wall with a small groan.

“Mike?”

Oh.

“Kid, are you okay?”

Oh _no_.

“What the fuck?!”

Everyone looked over. The janitor was standing in the doorway. He always looked angry, always had a deeper scowl and glare prepared for them, but now he just looked so confused and terrified. The hazel eyes were darting over them, taking in the three animatronics, but they all knew who he was looking for.

For the first time in years, Freddy felt helpless.

“We’re so sorry.”

\- - - - -

Chris pulled into the pizzeria parking lot. He didn’t have to be here, didn’t want to be, but he wanted to check in and see if there was any progress in getting Mike back.

Mike’s _body_ back.

It had been nearly three weeks. Three weeks since Mike died. Chris was still grappling at that, that Mike was dead and never coming back. That the guest room – Mike’s room – at Logan’s house still had spare clothes that fit Mike in the dresser, the bed messily made by the kid that wouldn’t occupy it again. That the spare room – Mike’s room – at Chris’s apartment had been opened since Chris broke down in there after a week of holding in the grief. That Mike was _fucking gone_.

All because of a bunch of robots.

Least to say, Chris had just barely agreed to listen to the animatronics tell their story. They told him about the Children, about the power of the soul, about how they had believed Mike was dead after the Bite and didn’t know it was him. Chris had been restrained by Chica from going to the backroom and taking Mike’s body back from Bonnie himself when he was told what had happened. He could care less if Bonnie had just had a mental meltdown. Mike was dead and he had killed the kid. All of them had tormented Mike, played with him like a bunch of cats batting around a mouse, until one got too hungry and took it for themselves.

He hadn’t even gotten near the door. Chica had escorted him out when Chris finally left.

The animatronics would get the body back and call Chris when they did. That was their side of the promise. Chris’s side was taking it, then he and the Miller’s would prepare to give Mike at least some kind of small service while the body was being cremated. An open casket funeral had been an option, but they had decided on cremation after a week had passed.

This partnership was only temporary. The second Mike’s body was in his truck, he was leaving this place and never coming back. He didn’t care what happened to the animatronics, he didn’t fucking care, he just wanted Mike’s body back so that they could at least have a funeral for the kid.

Freddy came around the corner when the door shut behind Chris. Chris wasn’t sure when he had gotten a new arm, but apparently the bastard in the backroom had given him one. He wasn't even scared of the animatronics anymore, just angry.

“Chris.” Freddy voice was deep, roughened with grief. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see if there was progress.” That was the only reason, he kept telling himself. Chris knew the answer already, but he still asked, “Is there?”

Freddy looked desperate. “He won’t come out,” he said. “Bonnie won’t come out and he certainly won’t give Michael’s body over. He still thinks that Michael’s just sleeping.”

Chris opened his mouth to say something, something definitely derogatory towards Bonnie because that’s what the dumb rabbit deserved right now, until he heard Chica’s begging from the main room.

He shoved past Freddy. The bear didn’t even try to stop him.

“Bonnie, please come out,” Chica begged. She was sitting against the backroom door, feathery cheeks wet with that black substance. Foxy was leaning against the wall, his face in a similar state. Chris had learned that it was like their tears. “Please.”

“You’ll just try and take Mikey again.” Bonnie voice sounded like it always did. “I get that we don’t actually have to sleep, but Mikey does and you guys keep trying to wake him up.”

Chica banged her head against the door. “Bonnie…”

“Just be patient, okay? He’ll be all healed soon. I know he will.”

Foxy just grabbed Chica’s shoulder and steered her away from the door. He was silent, his eyes dull and void.

Chris went outside. Freddy followed him.

They sat on the curb, Freddy half-heartedly using the truck as cover. It wasn’t weird sitting next to an eight-foot animatronic bear to Chris’s surprise, not when you’ve seen what he’s seen. It was almost casual, almost two normal guys sitting on a porch with some beers casual. If it weren’t for the fact that they were only interacting because they were trying to retrieve a child’s corpse from a mentally shattered animatronic rabbit, Chris would feel content.

Chris lit a cigarette. He was smoking them a lot more recently. After a puff, he asked, “Has he always been this…?” Crazy? Insane?

“He’s…” Freddy stopped. It pained him to say it. “He’s always been a little fragile.”

Fragile was a friendly way of saying it. “He killed Mike,” Chris said flatly.

Freddy didn’t even flinch. “I know. This is just his way of…dealing with that.”

That got Chris thinking about something else. “What about when those kids died?” It came out pretty heartless. “What did he do then?”

Those days were hard to think about. The days when they wouldn’t move for days because they were terrified of mutilating the Children’s bodies any further, but were too scared to open each other up and take them out. The days when the Children would disappear to their own corners for days, raging at being comforted and talked to. They had all taken the deaths incredibly hard, but Bonnie…

“He just…froze.” That was as best Freddy could describe it. “After we got back on stage, he just froze and didn’t do anything. He didn’t move, he didn’t sleep, didn’t speak…”

It was only after the bodies had been removed and the cleanup crew left that Bonnie curled into ball where he had been standing and screamed until his voice-box shorted out. No one had stopped him. After that he hadn't spoken for weeks, not even when Freddy had repaired the wiring himself.

“This is pretty different than freezing up,” Chris murmured. He took another long puff. He’d need another one in a minute.

“He barely recovered from the Children – I don’t think any of us truly recovered – but Michael was just…too much.”

“He broke,” Chris said almost plainly. “He literally broke.”

“Yes.” Glass broke after so much pressure. “He’s very broken.”

Silence. If Chris listened closely enough, he could hear sobbing.

“Please,” Freddy suddenly rasped. “Please don’t hate Bonnie for this. Hate him for killing Michael if you want, but please don’t hate him for what he believes is true. He’s just so confused and…” He stopped, the stabbing pain in his chest back.

A pause. “…Honestly? Just a few minutes ago, I absolutely hated him. I wanted him dead. After hearing that, I pity him more than anything.” Chris looked up at him, eyes dim. “Do you?”

There was no hesitation. “No,” Freddy said. “I could never hate him. None of us could. He’s… He’s just confused and upset and scared and…” It felt like his entire soul was being ripped out, piece by piece. “He’s just so broken.”

Silence.

It was minutes later that Freddy buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Ink flowed past his hands. His sobs were heavy and deep, but quiet. Bonnie, the animatronic he had practically raised since they met, his baby, was so far gone in a macabre fantasy. Mikey was gone, his soul passed on and his body beginning to rot. Two of the things Freddy cared the most about in this world were gone; Mikey was dead and Bonnie would never be the same again.

Chris didn’t say anything. He just reached up and put a comforting hand on Freddy’s bicep, ignoring his own tears.

\- - - - -

They were getting Mikey’s body today. Freddy couldn’t stand it any longer, no one could. He had already called Chris, telling the man to wait outside until Freddy brought the body out.

They were gathered in the security office. They didn’t want to risk Bonnie hearing them talking about their plan to get Mike’s body away from him. They couldn’t risk getting battered like last time. They had one shot at this and they needed to be as precise as possible.

“I’ll go in and talk to him,” Freddy said. “When you feel me start up, you run in and restrain him.”

Foxy and Chica nodded. They offered no complaints. They had already said their goodbyes earlier, in their own spaces and facing the backroom. It was the closest they would get with their task.

A few minutes later, Freddy knocked on the backroom door. He unlocked the door with the spare key and opened it, peering inside and looking at the corner where he could feeling Bonnie. “Bonnie?”

Bonnie was… A mess would be a friendly way to put it. His fluffy cheeks were matted with the inky substance, stained with it. The rosy eyes were almost feral-like, a blankness in their centers and wild emotion lining them. Parts of his chest were stained with fluids the corpse had leaked. Freddy could see that holes were dotting Bonnie’s abdomen and chest. He was curled up in the corner, still holding the body like he had when he had taken it away.

And Mikey… Freddy wished he had the ability to throw up because he didn’t want the sickness he felt inside of him.

Bonnie looked cautious. “Hi, Freddy.” His voice was laced with roughness.

Now came the hardest part. “Can I come in?”

Bonnie looked to be thinking, looking down at Mikey with unfocused eyes.

“I won’t touch him,” Freddy said. He couldn’t help the roughness that slipped into his voice. “I promise.”

“…Okay.”

They were farther than they had ever gotten. Freddy walked in, aware of Bonnie watching him like a hawk, and sat down on the table. He patted the spot next to him. “Sit with me?”

Bonnie didn’t even twitch.

“Oh, come on. You can’t expect me to speak with you from there.” He forced himself to sound upbeat, nonthreatening. “Come here.”

A beat passed, then Bonnie stood. He winced, and Freddy winced with him at the sound of rusted gears grinding together. Bonnie obviously hadn’t moved from that spot in a month. His gears would need to be oiled, his front changed and the rest of him given a good scrub. Freddy would take care of that, just like he had always taken care of Bonnie.

Bonnie sat on the table, but had put distance between them. Freddy couldn’t help but feel hurt, but he didn’t let it show.

“You’ve been back here a while,” Freddy told him, his voice soft. “The kids miss you.”

Bonnie’s ears gave their common twitch. He looked surprised. “How long?” he asked.

 _A month and a day._ “A few weeks.”

The rabbit’s nose just twitched. “Huh,” was what he said. He looked down at Mikey, surprised. “Guess he needs more time than I thought.”

Freddy couldn’t help his frown. Bonnie truly didn’t understand what was happening. “Bonnie, he…” He stopped himself, trying to gather more strength. “…He smells horrible, Bonnie.”

Bonnie looked so confused. “He doesn’t smell,” Bonnie said. His voice was so soft. Innocent. The bear’s ears folded backwards, drooping. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 _He’s gone nose-blind or is somehow blocking out the smell._ “Don’t you see what’s happening to him?” Freddy asked, trying to keep his voice even. “He doesn’t look normal, Bonnie. Humans don’t look like that.” _Just look at him._

The rabbit wasn’t swayed. “He’s okay,” he said, looking down at Mikey. “He’ll be fine after some more sleep. Sleeping’s a healing mechanism for humans, you know?”

“I do,” Freddy answered. It was a healing mechanism for humans who were actually sleeping, not dead. Now he had to be careful. “But don’t you think it’s time for Michael to go home?”

Bonnie’s eyes drew together, annoyed. “What home?” His voice was flat. “You know how scared he was of his mom, and we know what a monster of a dad he has.” His smile was so familiar, like the smiles Freddy would give him and the others at night when they fell asleep. “Mikey’s home is here.”

Freddy was dancing on thin ice here. “Maybe,” he said slowly. “But he’s been being looked after by the manager and the janitor. He’s been staying with them.”

Bonnie’s ears perked. Good, so he hadn’t heard any of the conversations they had had with and Chris. He looked at Freddy, his wild eyes brightening a tad. “Really?”

He nodded. “Yes. Michael’s been very happy with them.” _And then we took that happiness away._ “Don’t you want him to be happy?”

Bonnie looked like he had been struck. “Of course!” he exclaimed. Then, “But…” He shook his head, like he was dismissing the silliest thing. “What do they know about Mikey? We’ve known him since he was little. He’s our baby.” He smiled down at the corpse, leaning down and nuzzling the patches of Mikey’s hair that hadn’t fallen out yet. “Our Mikey.”

Freddy couldn’t help but pull back a little. “Bonnie…”

“Why do you guys want him gone so badly?” the rabbit suddenly asked. He sounded so hurt. He looked at Freddy, the rosy eyes like flowers suffering under a drought. “Don’t you love him anymore?”

That cut down to Freddy’s very soul. He had loved Mikey like any of the others. He had held the boy, cradled him and sang him to sleep whenever his mother forgot to come back. Freddy had wiped cake and ice-cream off the plush cheeks, had made sure that Mikey was fed and full before sending him off to play. He had been the one who Mikey had called Papa, not that monster who Mikey feared at the house that wasn’t a home. He had smothered that adorable face with kisses and nuzzles. Mikey had been the tiniest, most fragile baby of their family, and Freddy had done everything he could to love and take care of him.

He would never forgive himself for assisting in Mikey’s death, for tormenting his smallest baby.

“How could you–?” He shook his head rapidly. He couldn’t get distracted now. “Bonnie, of course I love him. We all do. That’s why we want what’s best for him. He needs to go home.”

“He’s already home.”

“Bonnie…”

The red eyes became dark. “Freddy, I’m not letting them have him,” Bonnie snapped at him. “I don’t care what they want: Mikey’s home is here. He’s safe and loved here with us, he knows that. We took care of him for years and we can take care of him again. I’m not handing over our baby to a bunch of humans who could throw him away at any second. Understand?”

Freddy sighed, shutting his eyes. He knew it had been inevitable, that he would have to pry Mikey’s body from Bonnie’s arms himself, but it still hurt that he had to do this. “I understand.”

The openings of his elbows and shoulders allowed the shadowy lines to fly out with ease. He pierced Bonnie’s chest with two of them, leaving a piece inside of the soul to keep the other from using his powers. The others went to Mikey, latching and wrapping before ripping the body away. Bonnie wailed, feeling the ache in his soul and the loss of the corpse. His entire front was ruined. Foxy and Chica bolted into the room, hooking Bonnie with their arms and bodies and pinning him down to the floor.

Freddy withdrew his power. “I’ve temporarily locked your soul,” he informed. “You won’t be able to use your powers for a while.” _Or hurt anyone including yourself._

The rabbit struggled under the weight of his pseudo-siblings. “No! Let me go! Give him back!”

Ink was streaming down Foxy’s cheeks. They had to be permanently stained at this point. “Bonnie!”

Freddy held Mikey’s corpse with his lines, careful to keep him situated in case something fell off. The poor thing barely looked like a human anymore. Bonnie was looking at Mikey desperately. Not Freddy, not the others: His full attention was on the body.

He was crying again.

“His ribs are broken!” Bonnie cried out. “You’re going to make it worse!”

“There’s nothing left to make worse,” Freddy couldn’t help but whisper.

“He’s rottin’ away, Bonnie!” Foxy wept. He was hunched over Bonnie, keeping him expertly pinned. “He’s been dead fer weeks!”

“That’s not true! He’s trying to rest and you’re going to wake him up! He needs to sleep so he can heal!”

He truly believed that Mikey was going to be okay. He really was too far gone to drag back out of this fantasy.

Chica hung her head. She looked so defeated. “Freddy, take him to Chris.”

“No!” Freddy heard Bonnie cry as he turned and left. “Mikey!”

Freddy brought Mikey over to one of the farther tables to escape Bonnie’s cries. A blanket Chris had provided was lying there. Freddy settled the small form on top of it, then used his power to wrap it around the corpse tightly. His grimace grew deeper at the sounds of bones shifting and the remaining skin squishing. He made sure that the ends were folded so that nothing would fall out or be seen.

He hoped that Chris wouldn’t look. He wanted the man’s last memory of Mikey to be when the boy was alive and smiling, not…this.

Freddy gently cupped the clothed head. Ink dripped from his face onto the blanket. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I can’t say that enough, Michael. I’m so sorry.”

He lifted Mikey’s body with his power despite the urge to cradle the boy one last time.

Chris was standing outside. The moment he saw the wrapped body, the hard hazel eyes grew weak and tearful. “Oh my god.” He covered his mouth like it could stop the oncoming sobs.

Freddy bowed his head. He wanted to apologize again, over and over, but he felt himself cracking faster than before now that the moment had come. His lines quivered, but continued to hold Mikey’s body.

The man hesitantly reached, his hand trembling, and grazed the tarp where an arm was. “Kiddo,” Chris rasped. “I’m so sorry, kiddo.”

They had all failed Mikey. All of them. Freddy would take most of the blame, so rightfully deserved, but Chris would split it with him. He would never forgive himself for not putting his foot down and forcing the teen to quit. If he had just kept trying…

“Just… Just put him in the trunk.” The _smell_ …

A tarp covered the floor to the trunk and was tightly stretched over the top. Freddy slid Mikey’s body through the opening of the back, finally withdrawing his powers and shutting the trunk door. The body would be spotted like a stick in the mud if someone lifted the cover, but it seemed like Chris didn’t care about hiding it too much.

“What will happen to Michael?” Freddy asked quietly.

“We’re getting him cremated,” Chris responded. “It’s…It’s better that way.”

“Don’t look,” the bear told him, his voice wavering. “Whatever you do, just don’t look. Keep your last look at him close and don’t look.”

Chris didn’t say anything, but Freddy knew his answer. The janitor looked back at the pizzeria. “What are you going to do with…?”

“I don’t know.” Freddy held his head, desperate. “I have no clue what I’m going to do. He’s so invested in this illusion that I don’t even think there’s a way to bring him out of it.”

The man looked to be thinking. Freddy had a feeling what Chris would suggest. Scrapping Bonnie wasn’t an option. He would never, not ever, throw any of the others away like that. He had raised them, cared and looked after them, for twenty-three years. Bonnie had been the first of them, his little fluffy bunny, and Freddy could never bring himself to lay a harmful finger on the younger.

“…You could reset him,” Chris said after a moment. “That’s really all I have.”

A reset. A reset to take Bonnie back many years? Would a reset even work at this point? But… Pairing a reset with blocking parts of Bonnie's soul… _It could work._

Could Freddy do that? Could he take away Bonnie’s memories, change Bonnie’s known reality? Could he shove that brilliant, sweet mind into a fantasy world where everything was okay? Could he even possibly erase Mikey’s entire existence from that mind, those happy, blissful memories? Could he live with the knowledge that he had ripped years of Bonnie’s life away to protect the rabbit from himself?

_…I can._

Chris walked to his side of the truck, opening the door, and then paused. “…You know, wherever the kid is, I’m pretty sure he’d be relieved to see that you’re trying to make things right.”

Freddy flinched. “Goodbye, Chris.”

Chris didn’t push it. “Goodbye, Freddy.” He climbed into the seat and shut the door.

Freddy looked at the trunk. He brushed his hand over the tarp, ink dripping onto the pavement. “Goodbye, Michael.”

_“Oh, what’s this?” Freddy asked, taking the paper Mikey was handing to him._

_It was a drawing. A crudely drawn child was holding hands with a very tall and fluffy bear. Mikey had obviously cared more about getting Freddy down as best he could. Big and small red hearts dotted the paper, ‘I love Papa’ in big blue crayon across the top._

_Freddy blinked. He looked down at Mikey, the boy looking up at him with a big smile and sparkling eyes._

_Mikey lifted his arms. “Up, papa!”_

_Freddy grinned, so touched by the drawing and name. He scooped Mikey into his arms, pressing his faux lips to the rosy cheek and making the sound humans did when they kissed each other. He covered Mikey’s cheek in kisses as best as he could. Mikey squealed, giggling under the onslaught._

_“Thank you for the drawing, Michael,” Freddy said. He felt like he was flying from how happy he was. “I love it.”_

_Relief passed behind those big blue eyes, but joy had filled them to the brim. Mikey threw his arms around Freddy’s neck. “I love you, papa!”_

_“I love you too, Michael.” Freddy looked at the drawing again. “Papa loves you too.”_

He still had that picture.

Freddy squeezed his eyes shut, but that didn’t stop the tears. “Papa loves you,” he whispered. “And papa’s so sorry.”

Chris didn’t say anything.

Once Freddy had pulled himself away, Chris pulled out of the parking lot. The animatronic stood there, watching as the tarp fluttered tightly over the back, before going back inside. The night wasn’t over yet.

Bonnie was still under Foxy and Chica. The dull roses snapped to him the moment he came back in, looking for Mikey.

“He’s gone,” Freddy told him. He found a firmness inside of him: Mikey was gone. “He’s with the janitor now.”

The younger looked horrified. “How could you?!” Bonnie shouted, angry and hurt. “How could you give him away like that?! I thought you loved him!”

Freddy felt his soul clench. “We love Michael very much,” he said, because that was still true. “And we love you too. That’s why we’re doing this, Bonnie, because we love you both.”

_My poor, beautiful children._

Bonnie just shut his eyes. The hurt and betrayal could be felt in waves.

Freddy sank to his knees. He settled a hand on Bonnie’s head, the lilac fur still soft under his fingers. “Bonnie, you need to go on emergency shutdown for a little bit.”

Bonnie gaped. He looked terrified. “No!” he exclaimed.

Even though he know how much Bonnie hated it, it had to be done. “It’s for the best, fluffy,” Freddy told him, the nickname slipping out. He sounded somewhat normal again to his ears.

It was enough to make Bonnie keep still. Chica swiftly put the pin in the slot, the movement jarring Bonnie from his short daze. The struggling began again, but Chica kept the pin in. “No! Don’t touch me!”

Freddy didn’t pull away. He continued to smooth over the tufts of fur. “Shh. It’s okay.”

“Bring him back!” Bonnie shouted, fresh ink streaming down his face. “Bring Mikey back!”

“I wish we could.” _I wish more than anything that we could bring you both back without having to hurt you._

Chica pressed the pin against the button. Bonnie’s eyes became wide, his entire body locking and resetting. He was quaking, whimpering. “Freddy-y-y-y…” Bonnie’s eyes were glassy and tired.

Freddy knew his smile wasn’t happy, but he tried to make it as reassuring as he could. “I’m so sorry.”

Bonnie’s eyes shut, his body going limp now that his system was off. Chica and Foxy got off of him, but they stayed close.

“I’ll clean him up,” Freddy said. He’d make Bonnie cleaner than the day Freddy helped him out of the shipping crate.

Chica looked lost, frowning and her eyes dull. “Freddy, what are we going to do?” she asked.

Freddy looked down at Bonnie. He wiped away some ink from the matted cheek, rubbing his thumb over the fur fondly.

A system reset and blocking parts of the soul would work, but there was the possibility of Bonnie coming out of it. The tiniest things could possibly trigger his memories, and then they'd be back here all over again. It would have to be done over and over, each new day for Bonnie changed and accommodated so that he would have less chance of remembering. Maybe someday, one day, they wouldn't have to reset him anymore. One day Bonnie wouldn't be at risk for remembering, and the only ones carrying the painful memories would be the others.

But no matter what happened, they wouldn't give up on Bonnie. Never.

“I have an idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chris's part was hard to put together, but Freddy's was hard for me to even look at. I've blinked back the tears for the previous chapters, but Freddy saying goodbye actually made me cry.

**Author's Note:**

> More to come.


End file.
